Marked for Death
by LotharWinchester
Summary: After a failed experiment for Marcus, Khan awakens in the middle of a Zombie horde with a disabled "rescuer". Follows TWD seasons with some elements of STID.
1. Chapter 1

It hadn't been very long after the Outbreak that our paths crossed. I had mistook him for a Walker at first, his black hair had been slicked back with blood and it had splattered against his pale, well defined cheekbones. He did not move or open his eyes when I shot down the small herd of Walkers that had surrounded him.

_"It's rare to meet someone willing to die for someone they do not know." _He grasped the still warm barrel of the sliver pistol I gripped tightly in my left hand to draw it away from his face. His tattered steel colored trench coat flapped discouragingly in the light breeze as he slowly stood.

Main Street had become a prime spot for Walkers in the last few weeks, So finding someone alive and well had seemed like a pipe dream.  
>The first two weeks, the living dominated the mixture of locally owned shops and the occasional national franchise. Families huddled around phones until the power went out. Luckily, the Army National Guard had set up a temporary shelter at the hospital for those coming in from the backwoods and many congregated there.<p>

Unfortunately, the hospital became the epicenter for the Outbreak and it spread faster than Pneumonia had a few years prior. Many refused to leave dead loved ones and, in turn, added to the large population. They broke down the chain link fence surrounding make shift tents in the parking lot in search for more… _food_.

The dark haired man's movements from then on were fluid with the remnants of a metal pole clenched in his right hand. He cleared the way for me and continually looked back to make sure I kept up with his brutal pace. Something in his ever changing blue green eyes refused to remain hidden. Confusion, agitation, anguish maybe?

"I have a car not far from here." I hadn't had a drop to drink in two days so the statement sounded more like a bag of rocks than anything intelligible.

"Show me." He wiped his hand on his black pants and tugged at the empty right sleeve of my plaid shirt.

* * *

><p>Familiar places flitted past as we ducked past original brick buildings. I allowed him to firmly grasp it while he kept the few Walkers in front of him at bay. Once they were dispatched, he yanked the material towards him. "I'm going to pick you up." With ease, he knelt down and lifted me onto his broad shoulders just as I managed to holster my gun.<p>

A little squeak ached as it climbed up my throat and escaped my lips. "About fifty feet to your right once we get behind this building." I swallowed, "Aidenn, by the way."

"Khan." He grunted as his pole squelched and slid clean through another Walker's head then back out again.

When the way was clear, he bent down beside the passenger door of my sister's black Escalade and I quickly slid down his rigid back. The door slammed shut once were both seated inside.

Khan stared blankly for a moment at the steering wheel before he took the keys from my outstretched hand and turned them in the ignition. "Do you know how to drive?"

He stared at the Garmin in my hands with disdain, "Yes," His attention refocused on the road once the GPS started spouting out directions. "However, it has been a while."

"Where are we?" He asked as his hands shifted on the wheel.

"Littelton, New Hampshire." I smiled sadly as a lone Walker caught my eye. It banged against a ground level window inside the book store.

"Keep heading straight and I'll tell you when to turn." Khan's hand flicked to the GPS and waited for me to state my address. "You should slow down too…" Khan growled and I took it as a signal to stop speaking. I continued to watch as houses passed and eventually came to a three way stop. "Turn left here. My house is on Miles Pond. It's across the border and about a half hour drive from here."

I promptly passed out once I'd given him the directions and came to several hours later in my living room. My sister owned a small two level cabin on the waterfront where we watched the leaves turn every fall in lawn chairs precariously perched in the backyard. Only a few straggling walkers had come from nearby turned neighbors by following the dirt road down in search of food.

I groaned and sat up with my back pressed against the recently acquired worn leather couch. I chuckled at the memory of April, my older sister, and her boyfriend Max hauling it in. I jumped when Khan's palm rested on my left shoulder.

"You passed out from dehydration and over exertion." His hand covered my left to help me hold it.

"Just because I have one arm doesn't mean I can't hold a damn cup." I grumbled before swallowing the contents in one gulp. When I opened my eyes again, Khan's gaze had darkened. "Sorry, it's been a few weeks since I've seen anyone living."

He nodded and crossed the threshold of the cabin with my now empty cup in hand and I could see he had made himself busy waiting for me to wake up. A steady fire was going in the small stone fireplace with a decent stack of wood set in the metal rack beside it. All of the items i'd collected from the mini mart had been brought inside and some of them had been put away in their correct cabinets.

Khan came back into view and I gasped softly. He had taken one of Max's jackets out of the hall closet, the one I'd bought him last year for Christmas. It remained unzipped and hugged his muscular frame.

"I'm wearing something that belong to someone you cared about." He stated as he moved closer with a cup of hot cocoa. How he had warmed the water for it was beyond me. The cabin had lost electricity two days before and the camp stove had broken in my clumsy attempt to take it down from the top shelf. Khan started to unzip the dark brown parka but I shook my head.

"No, keep it on." I bit my lip and accepted the second drink, "It's going to be cold tonight."

Khan nodded and slipped one of the warm llama blankets over my shoulders before he sat down beside me.

"I noticed the photos." He pointed to the few photos stuck to the fridge with magnets. The unspoken question of _Are they still alive?_ hung bitterly in the air.

I shook my head and wiped a few tears away from my eyes. "No, they turned a few weeks ago." I gulped and motioned with my head to the backyard. "My sister was still alive." I sighed and set the mug down on the glass table set evenly in front of the couch, "She was a nurse and she was the one who made sure my amputation was a success."

Khan remained neutral and handed me the cup back. "She was killed?"

"One of my neighbors had turned as well and attacked her when she came home from a run…" I cringed as the memory flashed briefly. "Max was the one who attacked me. He bit my arm and my sister cut it off with the wood cutting ax outside." My voice wavered and I tried not to cry.

Khan grabbed another blanket and stood. "You need more rest." He left no room for discussing his own past and how he had ended up where he did. "I will wait a bit longer to check your shoulder."


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke to a dull light as it beamed across my face.

"_Wie spät ist es_?" I grumbled as I re oriented. Warmth seeped into my bones as I felt my left leg for my replica trench knife. _Fuck, where is it?!_

"_Es ist 5 Uhr morgens._" I tensed as a deep tenored voice whispered in my ear._Good to know he knows another language._ I slowly relaxed as Khan smirked against my skin. "I put your knife on the coffee table. You move around in your sleep."

I shifted from clenching and unclenching my hand underneath me. Khan grunted and held his light grip on my back so I wouldn't fall off the couch. "How long have I been asleep?"

He chuckled as I tried to nonchalantly move closer to him. I hadn't been this warm in a while. "Fourteen hours." I choked and his hand drifted up to where my arm should have been. I was surprised how easily he managed to do so underneath four layers of blankets. "I made sure the area was secure before I joined you."

"How long have you been here?"

"Off and on for ten hours." Khan huffed in disappointment. "I haven't slept in three days." He faded off into a mumble. "Do you always speak in German when you wake up?"

"Not usually," _It's hard to believe there was a time when being up for so long was not normal._ His palm gently rested on my stitches and I winced at the contact. "Max moved back and forth from Hamburg, so I thought i'd try to learn…" It left an ache in my chest at the mention of Max and it instantly brought the image of April's soft face and grey eyes to mind.

I sat up and dumped the blankets on top of him to keep the warmth in. He kept his eyes closed as he fixed them and I regained some of the feeling in my arm. I, mercifully, could not feel the cold from the exposed oak floorboards through my jump boots as I navigated around the coffee table to throw a few more logs on the fire. I grunted at the dwindling supply and grabbed the ax, "I've got to cut more wood."

* * *

><p>"Fuck your asshole with a rusty-" I grumbled as I stepped out onto the back porch. The steep set of ever rotting stairs to the backyard had a thin sheet of ice over it. "<em>Great<em>." I let the ax go from my hand and watched as it plummeted to the stone step at the end of the stairs.

It took a solid ten minutes to ease my way down the stairs. _Don't want to die by falling down the stairs…_ The ax gleamed against the grey stone as I picked it up and scanned for any signs of Walkers or, better yet, deer.

My stomach grumbled at the idea of eating something that wasn't out of a box._Maybe a nice glass of milk too, that would be great right about now…_ I smiled as the head of the ax sunk into the log i'd placed on the chopping stump.

Over and over the ax went down and I kicked the fresh cut pieces off to the side. It had been over an hour and most of the wood Max had cut from one of the fallen trees had now been cut into nice small logs for the fire. There was plenty to last for the next month or so.

I wiped my hand across my forehead after I sunk the ax into the chopping stump. I'd sweat through my wool sweatshirt from the effort.  
><em>I hope he went back to sleep..<em>

Just as I bent down to grasp the metal handle of the ax, a soft growling overwhelmed the air from the neighboring yard I was facing. David, a teenager who lived further towards the main road, and his three siblings had taken down a doe and were now staring hungrily at me.

_Shit._ I exhaled softly as the ax came free. _Just back up towards the stairs, fuck the wood, fuck th-_

All of the Walkers I had ever come in contact with had limped along, whether they were injured or not, which gave ample time to escape. Staring David down, however, proved to be one of the worst mistakes to make.

His siblings followed in the slow Walker fashion while David, lanky and tall for his age, charged forward like something out of _28 Days Later_. He was on top of me before I could make it to the wooden portion of the stairs. My head cracked against the stone while the handle of the ax came up to David's low, rotten low hanging jaw. His grimy fingers clawed at my sweatshirt until I brought both of my feet up to his chest.

_I can't push him…_

Blood freely flowed from the gash on the back of my head and with whipped David up into a frenzy. It was harder to hold him back.

"_Khan!_"

* * *

><p>AN: German Translations (if you need them)

"_Wie spät ist es_?"- What time is it?

"_Es ist 5 Uhr morgens._"- it's 5am/ five in the moring


	3. Chapter 3

Seconds after I called out for him, I had given up any hope of coming out of David's attack alive. Even if Khan had heard my plea, it would take him a few minutes to move the protective wall set up in front of the sliding glass door that lead out to the front porch.

The constant odor that seeped from David's rotting mouth had me disgusted stupor. Blood from the deer and some from David's open wounds dribbled down his dislocated jaw and dripped onto my face _What if I'm infected?_ I half -heartedly cared.

The only noise that alerted me to Khan's now looming presence was a slight creak in the step above me. The Colt I always left on the island was pointed at the top of David's skull and I managed to close my eyes and mouth before Khan pulled the trigger. I screamed against the tight seal of my lips as David's body fell on top of me._I helped tutor him for Pre Calc just a few months ago…  
><em>I couldn't move and the sound of my heart pumping was the only thing I could hear.

Khan stood over me once he had shoved David off of my body. I reached into my back pocket and wiped my face with the handkerchief I had folded inside. When I opened my eyes, Khan had slid the Colt into the front of his pants and held the wood ax in his left hand.

"Go clean up," Khan commanded as he helped me up, "I'll take care of this."

* * *

><p>I stood in the empty shower stall with a large container of Poland Spring water on the floor of the tub and a large metal pan in my hand. <em>He was just a kid. Still in high school and he just wanted to get out of here… <em>I bit my lip hard to prevent myself from sobbing._ I'm sorry._

I slipped into my clothes slowly since I was still sore from the steps digging into my back. When I opened the door, Khan had restocked the wood and stored the rest in Amy's old room.

He met my gaze, "Sit."

"I know I wasn't alert," I frowned as I eased down onto the couch, "And I froze." I cleared my throat as Khan sat down and started to unassemble all of my guns to clean them. The Colt was first. "It won't happen again."

Khan was silent for a long time and it felt far worse that if he had torn me a new one. He focused on the pieces in his hands and reassembled them in record time then moved onto the row of guns he'd set on the table.

My mind kept circling back to his earlier diversion about his past. _What was he doing alone? Where was he from? What happened to his family? _Over and over again like an awful but catchy pop song. I watched his firm hands reload the Krebs AK- 47 magazine with the box of bullets I left by the refrigerator. _Ex Military? Mercenary maybe?_His face remained neutral as he gently rested it down next to the five other guns he had cleaned and reloaded. A fleeting thought of how most people would be afraid of such precision crossed my mind.

I had known this man for all of a day but there was a mutual, silent understanding that we needed to stay together in order to stay alive. Well, I _hoped_ it was mutual.

He jolted me from my thoughts as he stood. " I suppose I owe you some answers."

I cleared my throat as he kept the Colt on the table and put the others back in the gun cabinet by the main door. "Why were you alone?" I arched my eyebrow as he picked up the broken camp stove. "I dropped that, it doesn't work."

Khan set it on the table and moved the Colt closer to me. "I don't remember." He ran his hand through his thick hair as he glanced around, " Do you have a Toolbox?"

"Under the sink." I pointed to the kitchen area, "Amnesia?" I guessed as he knelt down to search for the beat up red tool box.

"Yes, I suppose." He made an affirming noise once his hand latched onto the black handle. "I remember most of my life," He focused his attention back on the green portable camp stove, "Only my most recent memories are gone."

I dug under the couch for the Colt leg strap and slipped it inside. "What happened to your family?"

The stove dropped from his hands and shattered the glass top of the coffee table. I held my breath as Khan blankly stared at the sharp fragments of glass. "I'm not sure." I swallowed at the sight of his blood dripped down his long fingers. "I am going to find them."

He tensed under my hand as I tried to get him to stand. "Khan," I swallowed hard as his eyes nearly bored holes through me. "Khan, your blood will attract Walkers…" His gaze shifted to the now unprotected glass door. He stood slowly and walked through the glass shards. I kept my hand on his bicep to guide him to the bathroom sink.

"What else do I need to know about Walkers?" I had only asked him two serious questions and I couldn't bring myself to ask anymore. I grabbed the big bottle of Poland Spring and motioned for him to remove his clothes.

"I'll tell you as you take a bath." Khan stood stock still and refused to move. "When was the last time you bathed?"

"I don't remember." His nose scrunched as he removed his tight black shirt. I turned away from him and filled the tub. It took several big bottles but I had just filled the back of the Escalade to the brim when I had met Khan.

The tub had enough space for him to sit with his knees half bent and I waited for him to get comfortable before I sat on the closed toilet lid beside him. "You can only kill them by decapitating them or shooting them in the head." I coughed into the crook of my arm and picked up the plastic measuring cup I used to rinse my hair with since the pan was too large to do so. "_Do not_ let them bite you or scratch you." I filled the cup with water and rinsed Khan's hair. His bangs fell across his face and he closed his eyes. The color of the water changed from crystal clear to an almost brown mixture from the blood, dirt and grime that had accumulated on his body and in his hair. "Also make sure not to swallow or get any of their blood in any open wounds."

If he had any objections to my treatment, he didn't voice them, even as I lathered his hair with generic shampoo and conditioner. "If you do get bit in an amputatable area, you can be saved…" His left arm reached out and grasped my right shoulder as I drained the tub. "Otherwise, I'll have to leave you because you'll turn." I gently removed his hand and grabbed a towel off the rack. I turned my head away and held it out to him. Once I felt his hand grasp it, I let it go and opened the door. "I'll go find you some clean clothes and wash these…" I grabbed his dirty clothes and dropped them into the laundry basket once I closed the door. I needed time and space to think.

* * *

><p>Khan looked at the clothes Aidenn had set on the bathroom counter in disdain until he realized that they were most likely Max's. A pair of long black jeans, a black tank top, and a smoke colored over shirt were folded neatly against the white marble top.<p>

He relaxed his shoulders as he slipped the tops on and then the jeans. For a human who had lost so much, Aidenn could have been worse, especially under the world's current circumstances.

Khan rubbed his eyes with his palms before he opened the bathroom door. _When was the last time he had let someone bath him like that? Years. _he wagered as he took in the afternoon sun through the sliding door. He tensed as he noticed Aidenn outside hanging up clothes on a makeshift laundry line in the backyard. It had to have been only a few hours since she had been attacked. _Why is she outside alone?_

He grabbed the Krebs AK out of the gun rack and made his way to the door. A cold rage swept through his body as he slammed the door shut behind him and he watched as Aidenn jumped at the sound.

"What are you doing out here?" Khan hissed as she grasped the handle of a saw edged machete.

"I had to hang these so they could dry." She refused to back down as she glanced up at him. "You can try all you want to control me," She pushed past him and started to follow the drag marks he had made earlier into the neighboring yard. "The time will come when you don't need me anymore and we will part ways."

Khan exhaled slowly and followed behind her. "Did you check the area?" He clenched his jaw as he scanned the yard.

"Yes." It came softly from her mouth as she stopped in front of the pile of dismembered limbs that were once her neighbors. "You can go back inside," she said over her shoulder as she dropped the machete and picked up a small shovel that had been propped up against a broken garden fence. "I knew them."

Khan stayed silent and watched as Aidenn wrapped her hands in handkerchiefs to pick up the severed limbs. She separated them with the torso and corresponding head before she started to dig.

He took the shovel from her hand after she had dug two holes and placed two of David's sisters inside. He removed the over shirt and dug the two remaining holes. He stood back as she filled all four in.

"It's around two thirty." Aidenn stated as she unwrapped her hands and set the cloth on fire. "I need to go for another run into town." Khan cleared his throat and rested the AK on his shoulder once he had put the grey shirt back on. "I'll need to load a few guns in the car along with some ammo. then we'll be good to go."


	4. Chapter 4 Run

Khan drove to Littleton in silence while Aidenn pondered how he remembered the route from one disoriented trip. She glanced out the window and frowned as a few leaves fell from a tree._ It'll be harder to stay warm soon._ Her upper teeth worried against her bottom lip as Khan turned the wheel with her suicide knob. _I can't leave._

"What is your plan?" Khan asked as he swerved to avoid a small Toyota abandoned in the middle of the road.

"Start at the Wal-mart then work from there." She frowned as she looked back at the car. _That wasn't there yesterday…_ "There's a glass case full of ammo and guns," She jerked her thumb to the right once Khan pulled up to a small four-way intersection, "and there's some in the back in stock if the case has been looted already."

"You worked there." Aidenn frowned as Khan slowed and unrolled his window. His neutral facade remained as he shot two Walkers in the head with a silenced pistol before he rolled the window up again. "I saw the bullet press and materials in Max's room." He chose this opportunity to focus on driving rather than Aidenn's face, "I know how to use it."

"Alright." She followed a small group of Walkers with her hazed over eyes. "Let's focus on this run," Khan had stopped to let the group pass, "They're starting to wander away from the hospital…" she coughed softly into her jacket sleeve, "They must've run out of food."

Khan turned the key in the ignition with a little more force than necessary. He cracked his knuckles against the steering wheel as he navigated through small sea of cars. "Where these here before?"

Aidenn nodded and huffed against the glass. "Yeah," Khan reached back and grabbed the Krebs off the back seat as he parked close to the door. _We're parked on the sidewalk. Ha, like anyone would give a fuck now._ "They came in one huge wave about two weeks after this whole thing started." She fastened her knife strap to her leg and held a tomahawk in her only hand. "The number of people living dwindled down to a few dozen but, I think that there are only fifteen of us left now. If that."

Khan grunted as he took the keys from the ignition and slung an Army dufflebag over his shoulder. "How often do you see them?"

Aidenn walked gingerly through the broken glass doors and turned back to face him, "Every now and then. Mostly when they're looking for food and gas." She rested the tomahawk against her leg and began tossing Khan packs of batteries with an underhand throw. "But i've been avoiding them. They're starting to get combative for resources." Khan opened the bag and maneuvered it so the batteries would land inside. She shook her head a his frown. "They have three kids in one group. A toddler and a baby along with a six year old." Aidenn sighed as she picked up the tomahawk and started to check the expiration dates for miscellaneous candies at each register before she tossed the good ones into the bag.

Khan grunted in disdain and scanned for any signs of movement. "Most of the fruit and anything else relatively healthy is rotten." Aidenn huffed as she pushed the bag across the floor to the next register. "Beggars can't be choosers at this point."

Aidenn scanned the last row and smiled as she shoved a box of crayons into the bag. Khan shook his head and grabbed several packs of lighters off the rack. "If we're desperate, crayons burn but they reek."

She grasped the handle of her ax and chuckled at Khan's perplexed expression. "Good," She continued to chuckle as she kicked the bag back to him. "I was starting to think you couldn't show emotions."

Khan grabbed several boxes of matches and packs of cheap plastic lighters and frowned as he placed them in the bag. He remained silent as Aidenn moved on through the women's clothing department and headed straight for the weapon and hunting section in the back left corner of the store. Khan continued to check and scan for Walkers and would grab the occasional sweatshirt or long-sleeved shirt that would fit him off racks and shelves.

He froze when he heard the faint sound of crunching broken glass and tugged at Aidenn's spare sleeve. He motioned to the aisle beside the glass case where a Walker growled lowly and began to limp towards them.

_"Stay."_

Aidenn glared up at him, still not used to taking orders, but remained hidden behind a shelf of toys. Her eyes followed his movement until he sunk her tomahawk into the Walker's head. She waited until it dropped and stepped around the shards of broken glass. Half the container was empty and all the ammo Khan would need for his gun was gone. _Great._  
>She still rooted through the ammo and carefully placed it in the bag.<p>

"Khan." She cleared her throat as she dropped several sheathed blades into the bag, "I can't carry it anymore."

He handed her the tomahawk back then knelt down to zip up the bag. Aidenn smiled as she lead him back further and through the storage doors. "Just don't take to long in there." She turned her back to him and started to watch. "There was an extra abandoned car on the road." Khan glowered at her as he slipped through the loosely hinged doors.

* * *

><p>With the dufflebag and another backpack full of ammo and other valuable supplies, Khan turned on his heels and left the storage area with the expectation that Aidenn would be standing in the same spot. He growled lowly once he realized that she was nowhere in his line of sight. He almost wondered how she had made it this long without him.<p>

He retraced their steps to the front door, carefully avoiding the sections of strewn glass and a few knocked over discount food displays. He stopped and looked around the last one and clenched his hand around the strap of the backpack. A small amount of blood had smeared with half of a boot print that wasn't Aidenn's or his own. _Not enough for a gunshot_. so, he reasoned, they had most likely stabbed her._She's still alive._ He traced his fingers across the cardboard and found more blood. He readied the Krebs in his hands as he made his way to the shattered front door.

"Stop!" Khan held the gun tighter in his hands as his eyes traveled from face to face, "Give us the bags and we'll let you leave.

The oldest of the six was, he approximated, thirty and the youngest was ten. Each held either a gun or an improvised weapon. His eyes briefly flickered to Aidenn's and then back to the man who spoke. "I won't leave without her."

The man shifted his overweight form back and forth on meaty legs. "Put the gun down and give us the bags." He turned to the skinny teenager holding onto Aidenn, "Then we'll let her go."

Khan's jaw ticked as he met Aidenn's gaze again. It was clear the man was lying about her release. Slowly, he placed the duffle bag down first as Aidenn shook her head, an incognito signal to take the supplies and run. The backpack he found in storage soon followed but not before Khan gave her a firm smile.

He wouldn't need a gun for this.


	5. Chapter 5 Run part 2

thanks to cecld16 and ENIGMA-doku for the reviews. I was actually starting to loose hope that anyone was even reading this, never mind enjoying it.

Please forgive me if the German is wrong in some areas that you can pick up on. I'm just learning it and putting it in here is for practice and will serve the characters well later on.

Also would you like the translations at the end or right after?

* * *

><p>Ruthless.<p>

It was the only word that she felt could describe Khan in those brief seconds. She almost thanked the gun to her back and the added knife to her throat. Had she not felt the pressure of the blade to her throat she knew deep down that she would've thrown up. It barely nicked her throat as her captor began to shake.

His hetrochromic eyes never met hers but bored into the man behind her. He had shown not mercy to the preteen, decapitating him while he drew his final breath, and had no intentions of starting with this man.

Aidenn could barely hear the gun clink softly behind her as he replaced the hammer. A rough growling halfway across the parking lot roused their attention and she wondered how Walkers had found them from their hoard on the freeway. No one had had a chance to fire off a round at Khan, the only other answer was their scent...

It was soft at first, so soft that only Khan heard it. He turned his head to the side and watched as the Walkers surrounded a homemade armored van that belonged to the other survivors. It was in that moment following Khan's movement that she understood.

"The baby," Khan turned back to them and eyed the man as he took a step back from her, "You brought the baby..."

Aidenn turned on her heel faster than either of the remaining men would've liked. She met the sweaty man's gaze and glanced down at the knife. "Give it to me."

The man's hand shook and he nearly dropped the knife as he was handing it over. She ignored the crunch of glass against her soles and broke out into a run. _Please... Please... not the..._

Khan caught up just as she dodged around a skewed Ford pick up. He said nothing as he shouldered the Krebs and waited for her next move.

* * *

><p>As much as she hated the current state of the world, she couldn't shake some of the emotions she'd shoved down deep.<em> It's a baby... It can't fight back...<em>

Aidenn ignored the gash across her arm and slammed the side door open as Khan covered her with a small burst of gunfire. What had started out as a group of ten had grown quickly by dozens as the baby cried in its car carrier. She cut the seat belt and dragged the carrier out.

"We need to leave." Khan reshouldered the Krebs and switched to Aidenn's tomahawk and a knife. They needed to save as much ammo as possible. He grabbed the handle and pulled the flimsy cover up over the baby to protect it from Walker blood.

Aidenn fell in line behind him as he made his was back towards their car. She felt Khan had killed this man instead, both she and the baby could've died. The lone survivor's grim look brightened a little as he stood by a hotwired car.

Aidenn rounded the car while Khan handed the baby over. "Here."

Khan brushed past her and made his way to their discarded bags while Aidenn handed the man some supplies. "Go."

* * *

><p>"I couldn't leave it." I whispered as Khan's hands clenched the steering wheel. He had gone to the other three locations, TJ Maxx, the gas station, and the liquor store by himself. The Walkers had been drawn away long enough.<p>

Khan took the turn onto Miles Pond road faster than I would've liked. Gravel kicked out and rumbled in the wheel wells as he continued to focus on the road and not me. The only confirmation I had that he was paying any attention was his furrowed brow and a brief exhale.

His silent treatment lasted longer than I would've liked. Once we had made it home, he left to pick off some of the few straggling Walkers he'd drove past and left me with a knife instead of the sturdy tomahawk. By the time he returned, I had placed everything I could bring into the cabin in their rightful place.

"Water and liquor are still in the back." I grunted as he placed the tomahawk on the counter. It was covered in blood and I quickly dropped it into the boiled water collected in the sink. The last thing we needed was to get infected from bloody weapons.

Once he brought the bags and packs in, I handed him a box of energy bars to which he gave a slight look of disdain. "Oh fucking eat something," I groaned as I checked the cut on my arm, "I know you haven't yet."

Blood seeped through the makeshift bandage on my arm as Khan tore the box open. "Clean your hands first." he still had the human blood and possibly Walker blood on his hands. "I'll make something as well."

Shifting through the cupboards, I grasped a can of chicken noodle soup and placed it on the counter before going back for another. _He's a grown man after all._ I chuckled as my hand touched the next can.

The slight pressure of his right palm against my lower back made me inhale sharply and my forehead fell forward into the bottom shelf. _"Fick Mich!"_

I pulled my head away from the wood and wiped the blood away with my palm. Khan moved away and I winced as blood began to soak the rag around my cut anew. "Why are you still here?" I couldn't help it anymore. "I'm of no use to you now that you're _obviously_ out of your shock. If you ever truly were in it to begin with."

Khan grabbed the two cans and a pan without saying anything. He set up a small fire and began to cook on the open flame. "Go fuck yourself." I growled as I tossed a plastic cup onto the counter and poured enough Jack Daniels in it for two shots. "If you're going to kill me, do it soon and take my shit so you can go do whatever the fuck you need to do."

"Du musst essen." We had sat in a long enough silence for the soup to cook, _"Jetzt."_

"Ist es Heiß?" The Jack Daniels still burned my throat and I wasn't looking forward to adding to it.

I handed him a spoon and sat down beside him. There was no point in grabbing separate bowls since it would be a waste of water later on. I winced as it burnt my tongue. "Es ist." For the moment, German felt more comfortable than English. I sighed and continued to eat anyway.

Khan returned with the bottle of Jack, my cup, a bottle of vodka and a bottle of Coke. " Nicht gehen." I bit my lip as Khan poured me another round of Jack. "Bitte." "Ich kann nicht es tun ."

"Was?" he asked as he made a rum coke in my empty glass. _At least he's staying sober.._

"Ich kann nicht mehr leben." I whispered after I took a sip.

"Ja," I watched as he gently rested the spoon on the rim of the pan, "Du kannst für deine schwester." I took a long sip, "Und für sich."

"Du Lebst für deine Familie." He nodded and put my spoon in the pan along with his. "Was bin ich für dich?" I bent over and picked the pan up before moving away to drain the sink and clean the pan.

My arm had stopped bleeding so it was safe enough to stick it in the sink. I pulled the plug and watched the murky water disappear before I left the pan in the sink.

"Mein Verbündeter." I grasped the metal divider of the sink as Khan's deep tenor rumbled against the back of my neck.

"Nicht dein Freund?" I jested and swallowed in an attempt to cut the tension and relax.

"Ich habe keine Freunde." His hand gently rested above my cut and untied the loose, damp bandage, "Nur Feinde."

* * *

><p>Translations:<p>

Fick mich- Fuck me ( I thought that one was easy enough.)

Du musst essen- you have to eat

jetzt- now

Ist es Heiß?- is it hot?

Es ist- it is

nicht gehen- don't go

bitte- please

ich kann nicht es tun- i can't do it

was- what

ja - yes

Du kannst für deine schwester- you can for your sister

Und für sich- and for yourself

Du Lebst für deine Familie- you live for your family

Was bin ich für dich?- what am i to you?

Mein Verbündeter- my ally

Nicht dein Freund?- not your friend?

Ich habe keine Freunde- I don't have friends

Nur Feinde- only enemies


	6. Chapter 6

_"Be Still."_ Khan's warm breath tickled my right ear. It took me a moment to realize he had his right hand covered my mouth while his left firmly gripped my arm. I tried to bite his hand but Khan quickly pinched my nose until I stopped trying to fight him off. _Why is he dragging this out?_My head spun longer than would've liked.

_"Someone's in the house." _Khan let go of my nose and eased the grip on my arm enough for me to palm the knife on my bare thigh. I rolled my shoulders and met the bare skin of his chest.

_Wait…_

Khan slowly took my hand away from the knife and I tensed against his mostly naked flesh. He still had a pair of Max's boxers on which made me sigh in relief against his palm. Once my mind had cleared, I could hear the shuffling in the living room and feel the fresh bandages on my side and head.

_"Stay silent."_ I nodded as Khan released me from his grasp and sat up. I stayed pressed to the bed as Khan met my gaze. His hand rested on my knee and I nodded once before I closed my eyes. His large hand quickly removed the knife from the holster and I rolled off the bed onto the floor as he opened the door.

* * *

><p>Khan had taken down three Walkers before I had managed to find another knife. The barricade that had blocked the back door had been shoved across the living room and what was left of the sliding glass door was scattered amongst the debris. None of the guns that had been left out on the counter were there and the gun rack had a few scratches near the lock.<p>

"Fuck." I growled as I ducked to avoid a Walker's arm. If I had been wearing a shirt it would've grabbed at my empty sleeve and pulled me down. I dodged underneath Khan's arm as he dug the trench knife into its head and I grabbed a clever out of the knife drawer to the left of the sink. Bile churned in my stomach. "How many?"

"Twelve." Khan grunted as he pulled the knife out and I chopped of one of the Walker's hands reaching towards him. I grunted in displeasure. _I was aiming for its did I miss?_

He fought his way over to the gun cabinet and I managed to kill two and had just diced into my third when he started to kick out the side of the wooden rack. The AK dropped out and I ducked down to give him enough room to shoot.

I covered my head as Khan got several shots off and only looked up when he stopped shooting. He cleared his throat and pushed the two bodies off of my back and legs. "The barricade was up before we went to bed." I accepted his outstretched hand and moved slowly by him to collect the rest of the guns. "Someone broke the door."

"I have one neighbor that would do something like this." I frowned as I noticed some of the food and water we'd collected had been taken. "He lives further up the road in the woods."

I tried to keep my eyes off of Khan as he started to drag the Walkers out and pile them on the porch. When he returned, he held me still. I hadn't noticed that I was shaking. "Follow my finger." I stared at the tip of his index finger and I grew worried as he frowned. "I found where you had been stabbed last night." He gently rested a hand on the bandage wrapped around my stomach and turned my head to the side with the other. "You've got a concussion and have lost too much blood."

I managed to stay upright as Khan walked behind me to the spare bedroom. I looked down at the floor once I sat on the bed and noticed the clothes I had given Khan tossed on the floor beside mine.

"You fell asleep." Khan came back into view with clean hands and some fresh bandages. I nodded and watched him replace the stomach bandage in silence. When he finished, the head bandage was next. "How far up the road is it?"

"Not far." I paused as Khan met my gaze. "He's a survivalist." I bit my lip as Khan bent me down to see my head wound, "His house will be booby trapped and he'll be armed." I sighed in relief as he poured water across the area I had cracked against the stone step. "I can be read to go in-"

"No." It was firm and left no room for negotiation. I glared at him when he allowed me to sit normally. "You will stay here."

"But-" Khan shook his head and stood. "You're not invincible."

Khan chuckled and turned away,"You are too injured. Rest in the bathroom. I'll give you the rest of the guns and some supplies."

I stood and wobbly made my way to him, "Be careful."

* * *

><p>Khan scouted the main entryway to the one level cabin from a distance. He had already seen the trip wire and bear traps outside the doorway and front windows. The only other entry point was a set of bulkhead on the right side. Also booby trapped.<p>

He continued to scan the area and found some of Aidenn's supplies still out beside the man's Ford pick up. The passenger side door was open and the overhead light was on. Khan tuned out the constant pinging as he scanned the area before looking inside the cab.

An empty Smith and Wesson M&P had been discarded on the floor and blood had been scattered across the worn seats. Khan dipped one of his fingers in a small pool and found that most of the blood hadn't dried. He slipped the gun into the small of his back and pulled himself from the cab. He would not be exacting any kind of revenge on this man. The Walkers had done that for him.

With the Krebs AK loaded and ready, Khan maneuvered around the traps and kept himself on high alert once he made it inside. A compound bow and two full quivers had been set out on the kitchen table while a small stockpile of bullets had been piled up on one of the chairs.

From a brief glance, Khan found ammo for the M&P along with some for a Remington 870, AR 15, and a Colt 1911. None of which were in the kitchen.

A small hallway with a precariously hung light bulb dimly lit his path. He stepped over one tripwire that led to the bathroom on his right. It was just a shower stall and an unusually small toilet.

Khan grabbed the remaining two sheathed machetes off the wall and slung them over his back. There was one more slot with only a sheath hanging by its strap. He pressed on.

* * *

><p>Aidenn groaned as she slowly sat back in the bathtub. She had taken some of her leftover Vicodin to ease her pain but it had yet to take effect. She had downed an entire box of energy bars and two bottles of water.<p>

Khan had left her tomahawk and her other trench knife with her for protection then pushed the couch in front of the bathroom door. _A few hours. _she frowned and wiped away a few tears. _That's what April always said. And Max..._

Aidenn exhaled and chuckled softly as she forced herself to sit straight up against the wall of the tub. She winced and took a large mouthful of water from a third bottle.

She thumbed the picture of Max and her sister she had snagged off of the fridge. _I'm sorry Sis but I can't stay._ Her eyelids drooped and she slipped the photo back into the pocket of her pants she'd put on before Khan had left. The ache in her side had dulled down and her head had stopped pounding._ I'll make it for as long as I can._

* * *

><p>A dark Army duffle bag on the bed had greeted Khan when he entered the last room. Inside, all of the guns belonging to the ammo in the kitchen along with two Magnum .375 revolvers along with some more ammo had been zipped inside.<p>

He moved the machetes so they hung against his left side and grabbed the bag then backtracked to the kitchen and shoved the ammo inside along with the quivers. Somehow he managed to grab the bow and leave without setting off any of the traps.

There was no sign of the neighbor so Khan picked up his pace back to Aidenn's cabin. Once inside, he took the guns out and set them on the couch with the ammo then grabbed the bag. Instead of the Krebs, he grabbed the bow and shouldered a quiver. He needed to make sure the area was clear before he let Aidenn out.

The wind had picked up and it carried the semi fresh scent of blood. Khan followed it with an arrow notched around the Ford to the far end of the house.

A man in his late forties with salt and pepper hair stared up at him. He let out a soft cry as he saw Khan it, however, quickly turned into a harsh scream as three Walkers bit into various parts of his body.

Khan walked back to the bed of the truck and climbed in. He noticed a crossbow and an M16, both fully loaded, in front of the truck's steel tool box. He opened the box and grabbed all of the food and water inside and zipped it into the bag. He left it beside the weapons and climbed onto the top of the cab.

The Ford was parked close enough to the house that Khan could jump up and grab above the gutter a few yards or so ahead of him. Once had climbed onto the roof, he checked for traps and disabled some of the ones he had avoided on the way up.

A sob echoed from the man and Khan silently moved across the roof carefully so he wouldn't fall off. He got to the edge and watched as a Walker bit all the way through his wrist severing the man's hand from his body.

He was thankful for the bow but let out frustrated sigh at the lack of a release. If it had been a recurve bow, it would've been easier to shoot. He notched an arrow back and pulled with his shoulders before releasing it. It went into one of the Walker's heads beside the man's shoulder. The second arrow killed and pinned another to the first and, in his final shot, took out the one still chewing on the now severed hand.

Khan jumped down and pulled the arrows free. he dragged them across his jeans before putting them back in the quiver. He took one last look at the man and watched the life drain from his eyes. He turned and headed back to pick up the bag without destroying the man' brain. Khan left him there, just like he had meant to leave them to die.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm sorry it's been a while. I've had this chapter and chapter 7 completed but I hate the way Fanfiction is formatted now. I have an A03 account (under the same username) and my fanfiction blog on Tumblr Aidenseamus.


	7. Chapter 7

Khan moved the newly acquired weapons and bag to the center of the wrecked living room before he pulled the couch away from the door. He covered empty door frame with white sheets from the bedroom to offer some semblance of protection.

"I thought you were going to leave me here." Aidenn did not look up as Khan turned to face her. "I'm sorry i doubted you."

Khan gave a half hearted nod which caught her by surprise. He had never done anything half assed as far as she could remember. "I'll start gathering up our supplies."

She returned to the bathroom and grabbed the supplies he'd left with her. It took a few trips and by the time she was done, Khan had moved all of the boxed food and the crate of alcohol to the center of the room. Most of it would be okay to eat for months and the alcohol could be used, if necessary, as a disinfectant.

They carefully stacked and maneuvered around blood stains in order to keep the food from contamination. Khan zipped most of the weapons and ammo into the bag and brought it out to the car. He made four trips to load up the car while she continued to move supplies. On his fifth time out the door, she went back to the bedroom as fast as she could manage and grabbed a few spare sets of clothes along with some things she would need and placed them into her old college backpack. When she got back in the living room, Khan was waiting for her by the couch. He turned his focus from the sheets as the followed the gentle breeze and motioned for her to sit down on the non stained side of the couch.

"Let me see." Khan motioned to her side bandage as she eased the bag onto the floor. "Do you know your blood type?" She nodded as his precise hands unwound the bandage until he hit the wound. It was clean enough for her to realize it was sewn shut. "You passed out on the bed sometime after your twelfth shot." His chuckle was low as he rewound the bandage and check the other two. Her arm had healed to the point where she could leave the bandage off for an extended period. Once he could see her head wound, however, Khan rinsed it out with a small amount of water from his water bottle before wrapping it. "The adrenaline running through you made you miss this."

"You'll want to head out if I can walk on my own." Aidenn frowned as she rubbed her hand against her pant's pocket. "I understand I just..." She glanced around the room and stopped on the shattered glass. "I never thought i'd be leaving this place." A small stack of cereal had been left on the floor and she stood to go retrieve them. "Even before whatever you want to call this. An outbreak. Plague..." Shards crunched underneath her boots as she grabbed the boxes and put them next to the bag. "I'll just need a few moments to collect myself."

* * *

><p>Khan stood in the sheet door frame and kept an eye out for Walkers. Every now and then his eyes would land on Aidenn's tired frame as she whispered to the two crosses underneath a recently planted maple tree. He'd finished taking the remnant belongings to the car and taken the photos off of the fridge. She'd need them to keep her level headed for the trip.<p>

Aidenn stood and dragged her feet back to the one stone step where Khan met her. She was no longer seeing double but had a hard time with depth perception. With one last tour of the house, she glanced up at him and nodded.

They trekked up the pathway at Aidenn's pace rather than his. Once they were in the car, she turned away from him and plugged her seat belt in.

"I'm ready." It was soft and mostly to the passenger side window but Khan nodded and turned the key. He'd managed to attach a small trailer to the back of the car to hold more supplies and a small motorcycle with extra fuel.

"It's about three hundred miles to Danbury." Khan frowned as he tried to calculate the best route. "We can take I-91 for most of it." He put the GPS back on the dash clip. "It will take a few days to get there." Aidenn kept the cabin in her sights until it was just a half of a house across the pond. Then until it was completely gone from the rear view. "From Danbury there is about nine hundred and thirty miles to Atlanta." He paused as he turned off miles pond road. "The highway may be crawling with Walkers and it will be full of abandoned cars." He glanced sideways at Aidenn and watched as she thumbed one of her photos. "It will take more than a week to get there."

"I understand." She was quiet for a long while after that. Khan mulled his plan around in his head. He needed to find his family and his best bet would be the CDC. If they were not, he had to come up with another course of action. Fast.


End file.
